Primary School News

Dear Primary Parents,

We start another short week here in the Primary School which usually means that the weekend will be upon us once again before we know it. I hope that the first weekend of AIC sport for the term gave you an opportunity to enjoy watching your son playing his designated sport with his teammates. I would also hope that it gave you a chance to socialise with other Marist parents on the sidelines. Friday afternoon or Saturday morning sports provide a wonderful opportunity for our parent body to make connections with other parents in our community.

On Friday evening, I attended the Year 6 Parent Function which was held at The Tower, and I made mention of how important it was that parent connections are made within a year level. There is every chance that friendships will be made during these foundation years here at Marist College that will continue to strengthen and grow long after Graduation Day. This was certainly my experience when my sons were at the College. I trust that the times spent on the sidelines are enjoyable for all Marist parents and students as we embark on our Term Two sports. 

Mobile Phone Usage

At assembly this morning, I held up a mobile phone and reminded the boys that Primary students do not use their phone to send or receive texts during the day. All phones should be turned off and in bags from arrival until 3:10pm. I made it clear to the boys that, should they need to contact home urgently, Mrs Maddox will happily do this for them from the Primary Office.

MCA Primary Fleece Jumper

Our Primary boys wear their sports uniform to school each Friday. With the mornings starting to get a little cooler, I would like to remind all parents that the boys may wear the MCA Primary Fleece Jumper to school on a Friday if they would like something to wear other than their grey, woollen jumper. This fleece jumper is being sold in the Uniform Shop at present. For all other days, the boys are requested to wear their jumper or their blazer.

School Photo Update

This year the College has partnered with Beyond School Photos for co-curricular photos, Pastoral Group photos and individual portraits. When ordering photos from Beyond School Photos, parents and guardians will require a Unique Access Key for each student they wish to purchase photos for. The College experienced technical difficulties when emailing Unique Access Keys to parents and guardians on Friday afternoon resulting in some parents not receiving the email. The College will distribute physical letters to all students tomorrow morning via Pastoral Group/Primary classes which will contain Unique Access Keys. Students will be advised to take the letters home for parents and guardians. Please do not hesitate to contact Sharon Ortiz (ortizs@marash.qld.edu.au) if you need assistance with your son’s unique access key.

Pastoral Leader - Primary School, Mr Anthony Graham

MaristChef Competition

On Friday, I had the great joy of presenting a Year 5 and a Year 6 winner from the MaristChef holiday cooking competition. Patrick Hambleton from Year 5 and Olivier Canning from Year 6 were our winners. We had over 60 entries in the competition and saw a variety of foods cooked, from pizza, burgers, meringues, smoked tuna to our winning dishes of apple galette and Oreo cheesecake. 

Emu Gully Year 6 Excursion

On Friday, Year 6 boys ventured out to Emu Gully in Helidon to participate in a group of activities designed to challenge, inspire, and empower students. The students were challenged physically, mentally, and psychologically to help overcome fears and build on their sense of teamwork and leadership. A highlight for most boys was the Kokoda Track – a mud pit where the boys had to slog through to the other end. Another highlight was Tunnel Rats of Vietnam and the Siege of Tobruk – two activities where students had to work as a team to complete the exercise. 

Signing in Late

If you need to sign in/out your son, please ensure that the boys are walked up to the Primary Reception area. This is to ensure that the boys are safe, especially with the construction site on our grounds. Late arrivals or early departures are to be logged on the Parent Lounge.

Extended Leave

A gentle reminder that if you are planning on taking extended leave (more than 3 days off schooling), you are required to complete an extended leave form. 

The process is to: 

• Email the classroom teacher and Primary Reception regarding your leave. 
• Complete the extended leave form. This can be sent to you digitally, or a hard copy collected from reception. 
• Once the leave form is completed and signed, hand the form to the classroom teacher. 

As per the form, permission for taking extended leave is needed prior to going on leave. This ensures the relevant departments are aware and can plan accordingly.

Walkathon

Walkathon is on Sunday 21 May. The day kicks off at 7:45am for registrations in the Primary Quad and depending on how long it takes the boys to walk 10km, it will finish at 10/10:30am followed by Battle of the Bands. See below the list of prizes for the boys to win! Primary has a few additional ones to keep the boys interested. Who wouldn’t want to help Mr. Connolly run the primary school for the day!? Maybe they could add a waterslide to the oval at break time! 

Primary Sport - Mr John Lambourne

Student Responsibilities to College Sport

I have received several parent enquiries regarding the College’s position in regard to representing the College versus club. The following is taken directly from the Marist College Enrolment Agreement, and clearly states that the boys are expected to commit to College Sport ahead of any external sport providers.

…co-curricular participation is required as part of the life of the College and integral to the growth and development of each student. Participation by all, according to the relative abilities of each student is mandatory. If a student has the ability in a co-curricular activity that is offered at the College, he would be expected to contribute by representing the College. This representation takes precedence over fixtures offered by outside organisations.

I thank you for your support and assistance in this matter.

Team Selections

A timely reminder for all in our community regarding team selections.

Primary AIC team sport competitions are non-championship sports. This means there are no premierships or grand finals. The role of sport in Years 5 and 6 is to promote the game, build skills and have fun with friends. We enforce a mantra that winning isn’t everything – we play sport to have fun.

All Primary AIC schools select an A/B/C team with the rest of the teams evenly selected to make several coloured teams per year level. This is to ensure safety and fairness throughout games. Marist College Ashgrove teams are selected by the Head of Sport (Primary), Year Level Coordinators and coaches through several intra-school and external trials.

With the large number of boys playing team sport, teams are selected based purely on the skills that are witnessed during these trials. External sports and club performances or divisions are not taken into consideration when selecting teams. Team selections are final, and coaches and selectors decisions should be respected. Students and parents who are unhappy with team selections should not attempt to influence or change these selections. Therefore, correspondence, regarding team selections will not be entered into.

As selectors, coaches and teachers, our main priority is to produce the best environment for students to enjoy sport, have fun and continue to develop skills.

Your support in the selection of teams is very much appreciated.

Term 2 AIC Sport

Rugby

Round 1 Results

Football

Round 1 Results

Cross Country Training

These sessions are open to all boys; boys attending for fitness training and boys wishing to qualify for the AIC Cross Country Team. There is no obligation to attend AIC meets in.

Monday – Thursday mornings.

Boys meet at the swimming pool from 6:30am for a 6:45am departure.

It is recommended that students complete two sessions per week. Students should attend one of the following:

• Monday and Wednesday
• Monday and Thursday
• Tuesday and Thursday

This structure allows students to have a rest day between sessions and to complete different types of training.

Rugby and Football

• All matches are played Saturday mornings, training will be one afternoon and one-morning session each week.
• Boys require; Jersey, shorts, and socks - available from the College Clothing Shop
  Boys also require; Rugby: Boots and mouthguard and Football: Boots and shin pads.

College App

Please ensure that you download the College App to your smart phone. This app will be used weekly to inform you of sporting fixtures, cancellations, and bus arrival information.

Sports Photographs

We are always on the look-out for photos and action shots to be used for the Blue & Gold, other College publications, season or end-of-year wrap-ups etc. Please follow this link and add your photos - Marist College Ashgrove Primary Sports Photos

Pick-up Arrangements - “Plan B”

It is important that you are aware of your son’s pick-up procedure if sports training is cancelled or if you are running late.

As soon as a decision is made to cancel a sporting fixture or training, a message is placed on the College app.

If training is cancelled boys can remain in the primary school or walk to an arranged pick-up-point when the time arrives.

Sport training sessions finish normally finish by 4:45pm. We ask that boys are picked up at this time, or soon after. Any boy who is still at their training venue at 5:00pm will be directed to the Boarding Reception area so that he may be collected from there.

In the case of bus arrivals, boys will be sent to Boarding Reception 15 minutes after the arrival time of the bus.